


unyielding

by silver_wings



Category: The Fall (TV)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-28
Updated: 2014-11-28
Packaged: 2018-02-27 06:46:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 860
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2683163
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/silver_wings/pseuds/silver_wings
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Stella's thoughts after the events of 2x03.</p>
            </blockquote>





	unyielding

**Author's Note:**

> Just a small post ep fic.

The night for Stella hadn’t been a peaceful one, even at the best of times she could only manage five or six uninterrupted hours a night. Tonight her longest stretch had been an hour and a half. Being woken for the third time that night by a worryingly realistic nightmare, Stella sat up quickly trying to control her rapid heart rate and breathing.

Whether it was paranoia that he would return while she slept or her subconscious plaguing her with more nightmares, she couldn’t turn off her brain long enough to completely relax. The previous evening had been unusually eventful; from her brief moment with Reed, to Jim’s drunken advances, and finally the discovery of Spector’s intrusion, it was a wonder she managed any shut eye at all.

Generally on really bad nights she would write in her journal in an attempt to purge the negative thoughts from her mind, but knowing he had been privy to her most private and intimate thoughts she doubted the exercise would prove useful. Instead she had to focus on compartmentalising her thoughts without that outlet, which was more difficult than she’d expected.

The knowledge that he had broken into her private space, in the most callous way, made her feel vulnerable and afraid; two feelings she hated to experience. It had been years since she had last felt this violated, and the idea of him being able to return at any moment certainly had her on edge.

It was slightly comforting that come morning she would call a team of crime scene technicians to sweep the room, though she knew this would yield nothing. Moving hotels would be the next step, but whether or not she would spend any time there would be another matter. While she enjoyed leaving the station at the end of the day to refresh and recharge, she felt that endless days on a tiny bed in her office was more likely.

Glancing at her phone she saw it was still only three in the morning and while she doubted she would manage any more shut eye, she well and truly knew the next day would be just as difficult and confronting, and any rest she would get would be essential.

xx

They had achieved nothing today. Twelve hours of painstaking work and they had nothing to show for it. As she had expected the techs found no evidence in her hotel room. Searches for the car Spector stole hadn’t revealed anything and they were no closer to finding Rose Stagg.

Stella was growing increasingly frustrated. With no new leads, the higher upper’s breathing down her neck and Jim’s erratic behaviour, the case was only becoming more difficult and complicated. It certainly didn’t help that everyone was dead on their feet and were also irritated by lack of direction. In the midst of all the commotion Stella hadn’t looked into switching hotels, so for her own peace of mind she would be capping off the day with a restless sleep on an uncomfortable bed.

She pushed away from her desk and stretched in an attempt to release the growing tension in her muscles. As she was doing this a knock came at the door. Turning around she saw Reed standing in the doorway slightly awkwardly.

“Can I come in?” At Stella’s nod she entered the office and sat in one of the chairs in front of the desk. Following her lead Stella moved around the desk and sat in the chair next to her.

“I heard about what happened last night, with the break in,” Reed sounded nervous but was relaxing by the minute. 

“Yes, it seems once again he is one step ahead of us,” while Stella was generally confident in social situations, due to the various occurrences of the night before she felt even more guarded and hoped this wouldn’t come across as anger.

“I also wanted to apologise for last night, it’s probably the last thing on your mind right now, but I wanted you to know that I don’t regret anything that happened. Perhaps sometime in the near future when some things are sorted out the night could end differently.” Reed smiled slightly hoping to convey her genuine interest in another night out and a more satisfying outcome. The small smile which appeared on Stella’s face a moment later immediately put her at ease and reassured her that the cards were still on the table.

“Also, since you’ve obviously had a rough night and day I figured you could use this.” Reaching into her bag Reed pulled out a bottle of whisky, and she swore she heard a sigh escape Stella’s lips. Pulling out two glasses she poured a generous amount into each glass. Passing one to Stella, Reed settled back into the chair and took a sip of the dark liquid. Watching the other woman Reed noticed the absolute exhaustion on her face and hoped she finally allow herself to unwind. Following suit Stella completely relax into the chair and waited for the alcohol to soothe her thoughts. Sitting in a comfortable silence, both women hoped the next day would provide more fruitful results.


End file.
